In the western Pacific, Super Typhoon Yutu slammed into the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands Wednesday as an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 180 miles per hour. Yutu is the strongest storm on record this year and one of the most powerful ever to hit a U.S. territory. This is Joey San Nicolas, the mayor of Tinian and Aguigan, in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mayor Joey San Nicolas: “I can report to you that Tinian has been devastated by Typhoon Yutu. Many homes have been destroyed. Our critical infrastructure has been compromised. We currently have no power and water at this time. Our ports at this time are inaccessible, and several other points within the island are inaccessible.”

The Northern Mariana Islands are home to over 50,000 people, and residents have been warned they may be without electricity or running water for weeks or months. Super Typhoon Yutu is making its way toward Asia and is expected to hit the Philippines and Taiwan later this week. Climate scientists warn global warming is raising ocean surface temperatures and driving more powerful storms.